BHC0974

A bear hunt in the Arctic Long Caption: A scene in the Arctic showing a bear hunt. On the left is a Dutch whaling flute with a spar over the stern for moving her through the ice. The earliest trades in North America were whaling and harvesting skins and furs. Settlers there had been hunting bears since the middle of the 17th century, as Native Americans had done before them. They sought the rich furs that were the most important article of trade since fur-bearing animals abounded in the entire region of the Hudson and Mohawk rivers. The Dutch established small settlements such as New Amsterdam - later New York - at the mouth of the Mauritius, now Hudson River, for the purpose of trading with the native tribes. Credit line: © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Palmer Collection. Acquired with the assistance of The Art Fund Object: BHC0974 Artist: Wigerus Vitringa Date: 1696 Medium: oil on canvas Size: 445 mm x 575 mm Click here to buy a bespoke print of this image.